Old Scaley

Exciting stuff, Darren. It might be hard to go back to bait.

Anyone watching the Turbo Tom gushathon on Fox right now? Making me feel embarrassed for the poor bloke.

All the media chat has been about how the Panthers attack was not up to their usual standard. I would like to give a shout out to the Broncos for an amazing defensive effort. A far cry from the revolving door defence of a couple of years ago.

I think so, Angry.

I thought I had joined the comp but when I checked after the game last night I could only see the default comp you get assigned based on the club you follow. Joined the AFO comp, but don’t think I get the one point for last night’s result. Great game to open the season.

Thanks again for the day out @ellicat. We couldn’t complain about the amount of action we had, even if the end result was only 2 keepers. They were delicious as crumbed fillets with a nice salad.

Well said @Andrew P. @Drop Bear and I were lucky enough to attend the World Recreational Fishing Conference in Melbourne last week. The emphasis was on the role science plays in maintaining a sustainable fishery, and how citizen science contributes to that effort. It was very reassuring to hear speakers from around the world talking about how much science goes into managing fish stocks. Australia is right up there in terms of fisheries management and we are so lucky to have a great fishery and a comparatively low population. We still have the opportunity to make sure that rec fishing is a viable pastime into the future. Despite what you might read from keyboard warriors claiming that fishing regulations are made up by desk-bound greenies, all these very smart researchers are very keen fishermen themselves who have a vested interest in maintaining fish stocks for future generations. Congrats on the catch @Neil Stratford and good on you for contributing to the science of fisheries management.

Too late!

Nah, I’m still in, @Drop Bear. And with 4 Qld teams to back, I think I am in with an excellent chance for the spoon. Can’t wait until kick-off on Thursday..

Such a pretty fish, and so delicious. Well done @Another Wazza. Crabs for bait?

Haha. Certainly not @Kat. Brett hasn’t confided his secret fantasies to me - just couldn’t resist the pun.

Are you thinking about mutton dressed up as lamb.... Or just mutton?

I love a rare steak. As someone famous once said “Just cut off the horns, wipe its a##e and bung it on the plate”.

Geez, @Angry51. Turn down the banjos. Lol (emoticons not working for me - they must have decided I am too old to use them) Another lol.

Hang on @Kat. Who’s the one who has admitted to spending some time to think about it?

He’s done a good job of hiding the location. The story says he was fishing on the Nerang River near Bond Uni. @Kat, isn’t Bond down at Robina? In any case, I doubt they are schooling up anywhere down the Gold Coast. There are rare but regular catches of Barra in SEQ.

I’m in. No problems. Come on, @Angry51. Get with the program!

Extra challenge for me and @Drop Bear this season with a fourth Qld team introduced.

He tried put the nozzle into the fuel filler hole but couldn’t get it past the fishing rod stuck in there.

Certainly can’t complain about that esky @Andrew P. Trolling or casting?

Good for you @Thorbjorn Hale. That is a great catch.

My mate was pretty happy with the black tip - one of his favourite eating fish.

Fished Mud with a mate this morning. Very quiet. No bait on the sounder. Lots of big sea toads around. We caught 3 of them but were snipped off too many times to count. Mate caught a small black tip reef shark (approx 80cm) and a big catfish and that was the sum total for the morning. We moved a few times to try and escape the toadies but in the end got tired of re-rigging and after a quick donut in the Port called it a day at lunchtime. Can’t win em all.

Lovely stuff, Darren. That really is putting your new found freedom to good use. Congrats on both counts (fish and no work). Have you given up work for good, or just looking for a change? Either way, we will have to catch up again on the water sometime.

Yep, Darren, I made a mental note to bring the gloves next time I use the trolling board. And we decided that we might play the next one out a bit longer.